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Returning after four years with a brand new album entitled 'Sleep Well Beast' along with an extensive world tour is Cincinnati quintet The National. They are performing a number of festival dates this year alongside a series of European and North American shows.

The National are set to release their new album this September

Not only have the Ohio indie rockers announced a new album, they have also released a video for the lead single 'The System Only Dreams In Total Darkness'. Directed by Casey Reas, it's a psychedelic, pixellated visual shot almost entirely in bluescale.

Continue reading: The National Are Back With A Huge Tour And A Brand New Album This Fall

The headliners for this year's Latitude Festival have finally been announced and it's definitely looking like the 11th edition is not one to be missed. Returning to Suffolk this summer, Latitude will bring with it a stunning line-up led by The Maccabees, The National and New Order on their main stage.

Latitude 2016 will arrive at Henham Park In Southwold, Suffolk for a fun-packed weekend this July with the Obelisk Arena bringing with it a few welcome familiar faces and a bunch of first-timers too. First we have The Maccabees, who will be returning for their very first major festival headline gig on the Friday having just last year released their first UK number one album 'Marks to Prove It'. 

Continue reading: The Maccabees Return To Latitude For Their First Major Headline Slot

The promo clip has been released for the upcoming Lena Dunham-hosted Saturday Night Live, which will air this Saturday (8th March). In the usual SNL promo style, Dunham appears in multiple takes to announce that she'll be hosting the entertainment show with music provided by Brooklyn's The National.

Lena Dunham Will Host This Saturday's Episode Of 'SNL.'

The Girls writer appears in the comedy clip with SNL cast member Kate McKinnon but, unlike her character Hannah, this time it wasn't Dunham who was the butt of all the jokes. "I recently went on a Girls ride at a theme park," says McKinnon, her arm linked with Lena's. "Um, I don't think there is a Girls ride," replies an awkward-looking Lena.

Continue reading: Lena Dunham's 'SNL' Promo: Toplessness, To-Do Lists And Two Young Feminists [Video]

It's been a year of truly brilliant sounds even if there may have been a few disappointments along the way. Take hip hop, for example: unlike 2012's records by Kendrick Lamar and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, there was nothing that really demanded your attention. Yes, Kanye's album 'Yeezus' was technically brilliant, but it's a record I'm still struggling to digest properly. Similarly, Jay-Z's 'Magna Carta, Holy Grail' (which, in my opinion, is as good as West's effort) was less immediate than the likes of 'Blueprint 3', which means it's got somewhat lost in the public consciousness.

Both those records had an interesting release as well, materialising on shelves seemingly from nowhere. They're not the only ones either; My Bloody Valentine's 'mbv' appeared online out of the blue in February after a gestation period of 20 years. Equally, Mazzy Star, Boards of Canada, Nine Inch Nails and David Bowie made unexpected and impressive returns following long hiatuses. There were also some great reissues and live records; Rilo Kiley's 'Rkives' acted as the epitaph the band deserved, Bob Dylan repainted his self-portrait with the 'Bootleg Series' and revealed songs well worth revisiting, Steve Albini finally got to share his vision for Nirvana's 'In Utero', The Velvet Underground's 'White Light, White Heat' finally got the deluxe treatment it deserved following Lou Reed's sudden death and Neil Young presented what could well be his best live album to date with the 'Cellar Door' addition to his archives series.

Continue reading: Jim Pusey's Top 10 Albums Of 2013

Vampire Weekend 'Modern Vampire in the City' - 'Modern Vampires in the City' makes it three for three for the New Yorkers and their latest release could very well be their best yet. It shows evolution for the band, but they have retained that essential quality that made 'Contra' and their self-titled debut such wonderfully upbeat and genuine pleasures to listen to each time. 'Modern Vampire in the City' is also the release that marks Vampire Weekend as a band that should be taken seriously, but one who you can still have immense fun with. 'Diane Young' is yet another indie floor filler, standing shoulder to shoulder with previous bangers 'A-Punk' and 'Cousins.' Where the album really excels, however, is when VW reach out to new quarters and sound completely inimitable. The yelps of 'Ya Hey' bring fun to a song that essentially deals with the theme of lost conviction, the graceful 'Hanna Hunt' erupts in the most complete song released this year and album opener 'Obvious Bicycle' sets the whole thing in motion with its refreshingly angelic melodies and steady, train-like clunks that lie beneath all the splendour. Vampire Weekend are no longer the Brooklyn minions rattling at the gates of eminence, the gates have been swung open for them and the welcoming committee should have made them feel rightly at home. 

Continue reading: Contactmusic.com's Top Albums Of 2013

Neil Young and Crazy Horse are teaming up with Brooklyn indie-rockers The National for a Barclaycard British Summer Time show at London's Hyde Park in July 2014.

Neil Young Is Heading to London's Hyde Park

The veteran Canadian singer-songwriter will headline the gig on July 12, with support provided by The National, Tom Odell, Caitlin Rose, Phosphorescent and Flyte. Tickets were will be on pre-sale for Barclaycard customers at 9am on December 11, while a further pre-sale will go ahead on December 12.  Tickets will be on general release from 9am on December 13. 

Continue reading: Neil Young To Play London Shows With The National. Permission To Drool.

Most of us are still cradling our weary heads from the Pitchfork Music Festival, but it's time to dust ourselves down, pull on our favorite band t-shirts and head to Chicago for one of America's - no, the world's - biggest music festivals.

That's right guys, Lollapalooza is here and this year's line-up is one of the most ingenious collections of live music for 2013.

Here's the bands that you simply cannot afford to miss.

Continue reading: Lollapalooza 2013: The Key Bands That You Cannot Afford To Miss

The multi-million selling rapper Jay-Z aimed to combine and rap and modern art this week, performing his new track 'Picasso Baby' for six consecutive hours at Chelsea's Pace Gallery in New York. Confused? Well, the lengthy 'secret' performance was used both to shoot Hova's new video and to promote his new album 'Magna Carta Holy Grail.'

Though the performance was kept hush-hush, it didn't take invited guests long to post videos and pictures to Vine, Instagram and Twitter. According to the New York Post's report, Jay-Z was entertaining the likes of, "Judd Apatow, Adam Driver, Cynthia Rowley, George Condo and others" reportedly "serenading Alan Cumming, and dancing around Marina Abramovic, Performa founder RoseLee Goldberg and even a woman on a scooter with her leg in a cast."

The marathon performance, shot by film director Mark Romanek, centred on the rapper's arty track 'Picasso Baby,' which includes the lyrics, "I just want a Picasso, in my casa . . . I wanna Rothko, no I wanna brothel," as well as referencing "Jeff Koons balloons" and "[George] Condos in my condos."

Watch Jay-Z performing 'Picasso Baby':

Continue reading: But Is It Art? Jay-Z Plays 'Picasso Baby' For Six Hours At New York Gallery

Today has been a great day for streaming new releases, as The National have become the next band today to put their long-awaited new album up to stream days before the official release. Daft Punk put their upcoming album up to stream today too, a week before its official release, with The National following suit soon after.

Trouble Will Find Me is due to be released 20 May, but the band have gladly become the latest group to use Apple's iTunes Store to promote the album before it's release. The band have previously released videos for the singles 'Demons' and 'Sea Of Love' from their upcoming sixth album, which looks to capitalise on the success which first began with 2001's self-titled release.

Continue reading: The National Put New Album Up To Stream On ITunes For Free

The National have a new album coming out next month, their sixth effort Trouble Will Find Me, and with the release date of their next instalment fast approaching the band have kindly given the listening public their first taste of the album with the single 'Demons.'

The track has been played for fans of the band at recent concerts and today marked the first time a studio-cut rendition of the song had been played to a mass audience before when it was aired this morning on BBC 6Music. As well as the unveiling of the new single, the band also released a time-lapse video to accompany the song on their YouTube page shortly after the radio airplay and will also be performing a studio session for DJ Steve Lamacq on the BBC station for a first time run through of their new material later today (April 8). The track offers the usual sorrowful melody to accompany the baritone grumbles from wine-sodden frontman Matt Berninger and will be a delight to fans and new comers looking for that little bit of melancholy in their daily listen. Trouble Will Find Me comes out May 20 and will be their first release since 2010's highly acclaimed High Violet, bar the one-off song the did for HBO series Game of Trones.

Continue reading: The National Show Off Their 'Demons' With The Unveiling Of New Song

Three years after scoring critical and commercial success with 'High Violet,' The National are back with their fifth studio album 'Trouble Will Find Me.' Described as "the most self-assured collection of songs," ever produced by the Brooklyn band, the record drops on May 20, 2013. 

The album was recorded at Clubhouse in Rhinebeck, New York, and self-produced by The National. Frontman and songwriter Matt Berninger said, "For the past ten years we'd been chasing something, wanting to prove something. And this chase was about trying to disprove our own insecurities. After touring High Violet, I think we felt like we'd finally gotten there." In support of the new album, the band's documentary Mistaken For Strangers will premiere at this year's Tribeca Film Festival, opening the show on April 17, 2013. Directing by Tom Berninger, it follows the group on their biggest tour to date. 

Continue reading: Rejoice! The National Are Back With New Album 'Trouble Will Find Me'

The Bonnaroo festival line-up has been released and it's something to get yourself excited about. Not got a ticket? You'll definitely want to get yourself one once you see who'll be performing. 

The Bonnaroo festival info page is a veritable delight of explaining Out There and In Here. Out There is out here, where we are now, beyond the limits temporally or spatially of the festival itself, but In There, in the festival, the festival organisers want it to be a haven of positivity, safety and, above all, supreme amounts of fun. They describe it as "4 of the best days ever" and "an escape into Excitement. Music. Art. Discoveries. Trees. Fresh Air. Green Grass... Friends (Old / New). Adventure. Overwhelming happiness. Hugging a stranger by accident. Sharing and Generosity. Bonnaroovian Dancing. Hyperbolic verbiage..." and the list goes on. Sounds good, right? Well, the line-up is even better, and suitable for all genres you may find yourself remotely interested in. 

Here's the best of the list, from the headliners down to the early stars: Paul McCartney, Grammy winners Mumford & Sons, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Bjork, R Kelly, Wu-Tang Clan, The National, The Lumineers, David Byrne, St Vincent, Passion Pit, The XX, Kendrick Lamar, Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, Of Monsters and Men, Nas, ZZ Top, Beach House, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, A$AP Rocky, Tame Impala, Gaslight Anthem, Billy Idol, Foals, Local Natives, Alt-J, The Tallest Man on Earth, Earl Sweatshirt, The Vaccines, Frank Turner, Purity Ring... and once again, the list goes on. Check out the website to see the rest.

Continue reading: Bjork, Paul McCartney And R Kelly: Variegated Lineup For Tennessee's Bonnaroo Festival

It's been less than two months since Mumford And Sons released their number one selling second album 'Babel', but the folk band have already begun to create a new set of songs for album number three. 

Banjo player Winston Marshall revealed to NME that they plan to write a lot more music following their remarkable success. 'We've started working on new songs, got a rehearsal studio', he said. 'Got a few new tunes out of it. It was great, sounds really cool. They're bones [of songs] but really exciting bones. Sturdy bones.' In a recent interview with The Guardian, he also insisted that their latest sound shares similarities to The National and The Band 'without doing either of them justice' while bass player Ted Dwane likened it to 'the glory-days Elton John'. 

Marshall is also desperate to get the band together for the Glastonbury Festival next year having missed 2012's - the first year they've missed since their first appearance in 2008. 'We've done every Glastonbury that we could have and I've been every year since I can remember', he said. For now though, they have their Tour Of Two Halves to beat beginning in Torquay's Princess Theatre on November 21st 2012.

The mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg has been making sure that the city's residents were fully prepared for Hurricane Sandy, which hit New York last night. And whilst the majority of New York citizens paid heed, TV presenter David Letterman decided to pay heed instead to that age-old motto from the world of entertainment. "the show must go on!"

According to MTV, Letterman wasn't going to let a minor detail like the biggest storms to ever hit the USA stop him from filming one of his late night chat shows. He did, however, film the episode of The Late Show With David Letterman without the presence of his usual live audience. He may have been prepared to brave the elements to get the show filmed but he wasn't about to let the general public endanger themselves in the process. The same applied to Jimmy Fallon's show, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. 

Other shows weren't so lucky. Jimmy Kimmel was forced to cancel one of his tapings in Brooklyn, announcing on Twitter "Though it pains us to do it, JKL from Brooklyn tonight is cancelled. I'm disappointed too, but we want you to be safe." Over at Comedy Central, however, the laughter stopped for the night. Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart both cancelled the filming for their shows. 

Continue reading: The Show Must Go On? David Letterman Props Up Entertainment Industry During Hurricane Sandy